Narrow-foot pouch mice

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Narrow-foot pouch mice
Thick-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse (Sminthopsis crassicaudata)

Thick-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse
( Sminthopsis crassicaudata )

Systematics
Class : Mammals (mammalia)
Subclass : Marsupials (Marsupialia)
Superordinate : Australidelphia
Order : Raubbeutleriformes (Dasyuromorphia)
Family : Predator (Dasyuridae)
Genre : Narrow-foot pouch mice
Scientific name
Sminthopsis
Thomas , 1887

The narrow-footed bag mice ( Sminthopsis ), also known by their English name Dunnarts , are a genus of mouse-like marsupials from the family of the predator (Dasyuridae). The 20 or so species of this genus live in Australia and New Guinea .

description

Narrow-foot pouch mice have external similarities to mice to which they are not related. Their soft, dense fur is grayish on the upper side and white on the underside, some species have a black vertical stripe on their face. The muzzle is elongated, the ears are rather pointed. The tail, which is about as long as the body in most species, is evenly hairy. Some species, especially those living in dry habitats, use it as a fat store in times of excess food, and these deposits can make it carrot-shaped. The feet are slim, often missing the balls of the feet, which are typical of the broad-footed pouch mice . The head body length of the narrow-footed bag rats is around 7 to 12 centimeters and the weight is 10 to 30 grams.

Way of life

These animals inhabit a wide variety of habitats including forests, savannas, and deserts. They live mainly on the ground, but can climb if necessary. During the day they sleep in crevices, caves in the ground, self-dug burrows or leaf nests in order to go foraging at night. They inhabit fixed territories, but do not show any pronounced territorial behavior, the territories often seem to overlap over a large area. Sometimes several animals join together to form short-lived groups without fixed social structures.

food

Narrow-foot pouch mice are carnivores that feed primarily on insects, but they also eat small vertebrates such as lizards and mice.

Reproduction

In contrast to many other pouch mice , the females of these animals have a well-developed pouch that usually contains eight to ten teats. After about 11 to 16 days of gestation, an average of seven to eight young animals are born. These spend the first 40 days of life in the mother's pouch, after another 20 days in the nest they are independent. They reach sexual maturity after four to five months. Life expectancy is unlikely to exceed eighteen months for very few animals.

threat

The main threat to the narrow-footed bag mice is the destruction of their habitat and the persecution by introduced predators. One species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN and three others are listed as threatened.

Systematics

The genus Sminthopsis was introduced in 1887 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas . It is probably not monophyletic , but consists of three genetically clearly distinguishable clades, the Macroura group, which consists of five species and is possibly the sister group of the Ningauis ( Ningaui ), the Murina group, which consists of 13 species and the sister group of one The clade of the Macroura group with the genus Ningaui is, and the long-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse ( Sminthopsis longicaudata ), which is the sister species of the jumping bag mouse ( Antechinomys laniger ).

See also

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
  • DE Wilson, DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4

Individual evidence

  1. Andrew Baker: Family Dasyuridae (Carnivorous Marsupials). Pages 334-348 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6
  2. Michael Westerman, Carey Krajewski, Benjamin P. Kear, Lucy Meehan, Robert W. Meredith, Christopher A. Emerling, Mark S. Springer: Phylogenetic relationships of dasyuromorphian marsupials revisited. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 176, Issue 3, March 2016, pp. 686-701, doi: 10.1111 / zoj.12323

Web links

Commons : Narrow-footed bag mice ( Sminthopsis )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files